Paint it Red | 9 with featured artist Lucy Tyler

This Friday, March 6, I am lucky enough to have my String Quartet No. 1 in D minor performed at Paint it Red, a concert series aimed at bringing together the music and visual arts communities of Brisbane. Set in Jugglers Art Space, a gallery within the depths of the Valley, the night will pair an exhibition of Brisbane’s talented young artists with a number of ensembles, featuring the works of two other Brisbane composers besides myself: the electrifying works of Joshua Rivory performed with Cara Tran, and the soulful sounds of Maja Puseljic with the Armilla Quartet. The night will also feature the creation of live reaction artworks. One of the artists is Lucy Tyler, whom I had the pleasure of asking some questions about her work:

How would you describe your works?

I tend to work very heavily with pattern, regardless of the conceptual content of the work. I find comfort in the familiarity of repetition on a personal level, but I also find pattern is a quick way to connect with the audience. People naturally enjoy seeing things that are organised and controlled, so pattern plays directly into that very human desire.

Also, I find when I’m performing that there’s a lot to be said for pure mark-making, without overthinking the final product.

When did you start/how did you get into it?

I was asked by Luke Carbon to have a go when Paint It Red featured at Containerval Festival in November 2013. Through that I gained an internship with Jugglers in Semester 1 2014 and continued to perform at the next few Paint It Red events. I’m excited to be back!

In creating a live reaction artwork, where do you start/what do you look for in the music?

The first thing I try to look for is a mood or tone in the sound, something I can connect to that resonates both in the music and on the page. After that I usually listen out for motifs or patterns (if any) and let that guide the work as the piece progresses.

Do you have a particular style of music you enjoy working with most?

I’m not overly picky, I love performing to any kind of music.

I do find that the most organic performances come out when both the artists and the musicians are improvising – you get this fantastic interaction between artforms, like a conversation. The musician plays a motif, the artist interprets it visually and then the musician feeds off of the artist’s visual cues back into the music. The experience is like a meditation.